Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM's address at valedictory function of the 2nd National Youth Parliament Festival
Namaskar!
First of all, I congratulate these three young men wholeheartedly, who made the presentation in a very effective, fluent and precise manner. Their personality was full of self-confidence. My heartiest congratulations to these three young winners! Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla ji, Minister of Education Shri Ramesh PokhriyalNishankji, Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Shri KirenRijijuji, and my young colleagues from all over the country, wish you all the best of the National Youth Day.
The birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda today gives a new inspiration to all of us. Today is also special that this time the Youth Parliament is being held in the Central Hall of the country's parliament. This Central Hall is witness to our Constitution. Many great people of the country made decisions for a free India here and reflected on the future of India. Their dream of a future India, their dedication, courage, strength and efforts still resonate in the Central Hall. And, friends, the seats that you are occupying today are the seats on which some distinguished great personalities of this country sat when the process to draw the Constitution was going on. Just imagine the seat on which you are sitting was once used by the great men of the country. The country has so many expectations from you. I am sure all the young colleagues who are sitting in the Central Hall now must also be feeling the same.
The debates and brainstorming sessions done by you here are also very important. I congratulate and convey my best wishes to the winners of the competition. And when I was listening to you, I got the idea and, therefore, I decided that I would tweet your speeches from my Twitter handle today. And it is not that I will only tweet the speeches of you three only. If there is recorded material available, I will also tweet the speeches of all those who were in the finals so that the country knows how our future India is taking shape in this Parliament complex. It would be a matter of great pride for me to tweet your speech today.
Friends,
What Swamiji has given to the country and the society, is beyond time and region, and is going to inspire and guide every generation. You must have noticed that there is hardly any village, city or a person in India which does not feel connected with Swamiji and is not motivated by him. Swamiji's inspiration also gave new vigour to the war of independence. The long period of subjugation had disconnected India from the sense of its strength of thousands of years. Swami Vivekananda reminded India of its strength, made it realize, revived its mind and awakened the national consciousness. You will be surprised to know that the people who were fighting the war for independence either through the path of revolution or peace at that time were inspired by Swami Vivekanandaji. At the time of his arrest, the literature associated with Swamiji definitely reached the police. Then it was studied as to what is in the thoughts of Swami Vivekanandaji, which inspires people for patriotism, nation building and to die for the cause of freedom, and how it impacts the minds of every young man so much. Time passed by and the country became free, but we still find that Swamiji is among us, inspires us every moment and his influence is visible somewhere in our thought process. What he said about spirituality, what he said about nationalism, nation building, national interest and his thoughts from public service to the service to humanity continue to flow in our hearts. I am sure you colleagues must also be feeling the same. Though you can’t imagine, whenever you see the pictures of Vivekanandaji, a sense of reverence would develop inside you and your head would bow to him.
Friends,
Swami Vivekananda has given another precious gift. This gift is the creation of individuals and institutions. It is very rarely discussed. But if we study, we will find that Swami Vivekananda has also taken forward the institutions which are still doing the job of building personality and evoking his values, service and dedication. The creation of an institution from the individual and the creation of a number of people from the institution is a continuous, unchecked and steady cycle, which is going on. People come under the influence of Swamiji, take the inspiration to build institutions and from those institutions emerge people who embrace the path shown by Swamiji and connect with the new people. Today, this cycle from individuals to institutions and from institutions to individuals is a great strength of India. You guys hear a lot about entrepreneurship. That again is something like this. A brilliant individual makes an outstanding company. Later, many brilliant individuals emerge from the ecosystem that is developed in that company. These individuals go ahead and create new companies. This cycle of individuals and institutions is equally important for every sphere of the country and the society.
Friends,
The major focus of the new national education policy of the country is also on building better individuals. This policy of nation building from individual building gives top priority to the desires, skills, understanding and the decisions of the youth. Now you can choose any subject, combination or stream. You can start another course by giving a break to a course. Now it will not be that the effort you have made for the previous course will be wasted. You will also get a certificate for what you have studied and it will help you.
Friends,
Today, an ecosystem is being developed in the country, in search of which our youth often used to look for abroad. Their modern education, better enterprise opportunities, talent recognition and respectful systems naturally attracted them. Now, we are committed and are also striving for the system which should be available to our young colleagues in the country. Today, an environment is being developed and an ecosystem is being created where our youth can develop themselves according to their talents and dreams. Everything is being given priority whether it is the education system, social system or the legal details. Swamiji also emphasized on something that we should not forget. Swamiji emphasized on physical and mental strength. He used to say “Muscles of Iron and Nerves of Steel”. It is because of his inspiration, special focus is being given to the physical and mental fitness of the youth of India today. Whether it is the Fit India Movement, yoga awareness or the creation of modern sports infrastructure, these are strengthening the youth mentally and physically.
Friends,
Nowadays, you must be hearing some terms again and again -- Personality Development and Team Management. You will also be able to understand its nuances more easily after studying Swami Vivekananda. His mantra for personality development was 'Believe in Yourself'. His mantra for leadership was: ‘Believe in all’. He used to say: "According to old religions, atheists are those who do not believe in God. But the new religion says that atheists are those who do not trust themselves." And when it came to leadership, he relied on his team even before himself. I read it somewhere and I want to share that anecdote with you. Once Swamiji went with his fellow Swami Shardanandaji for a public lecture in London. All preparations had been made, the listeners had gathered and naturally, everyone came to hear Swami Vivekananda. But as soon as his turn came, Swamiji said that he would not give the speech today but his colleague Shardanandaji! Shardanandaji had not even imagined that he would be assigned this role. He was not even prepared for it. But when Shardanandaji started speaking, everybody was amazed and influenced by him. This is leadership and the power to trust your team-mates! Today, as much as we know about Swami Vivekanandaji, a huge credit goes to Swami Shardanandaji.
Friends,
It was Swamiji, who said in that era that fearless, frank, clean-hearted, courageous and ambitious youth are the foundations on which the future of the nation is built. He believed so much on the youth and the youth power. Now you have to stand the test of his faith. The task of taking India to new heights and making the country self-reliant is to be done by all of you. Now some of you may think that we have not yet been so old. This is the happy-go-lucky time. Friends, when the goal is explicit and there is the will, the age never becomes a hindrance. Age doesn't matter so much. Remember this always that during the time of subjugation, the freedom movement was commanded by the younger generation. Do you know what the age of Shaheed Khudiram Bose was when he was hanged? He was just 18-19 years old. When Bhagat Singh was hanged, what was his age? Just 24 years. When BhagwanBirsa Munda was martyred, what was his age? Barely 25 years. That generation was determined to live and die for the freedom of the country. Lawyers, doctors, professors, bankers and the young generation from different professions came out and brought us freedom.
Friends,
We have been born in the period … I am also born in free India. I have not seen slavery and all of you who are sitting in front of me have also been born in free India. We did not have the opportunity to die for the independence of the country, but we have got the opportunity to take forward the free India. We don't have to lose this opportunity. My young colleagues of the country, the forthcoming 25-26 years are very important in the journey of 75 years of independence to 100 years of independence. There will be 100 years of independence in 2047. These 25-26 years of journey are very important. Friends, you also think, the age in which you are and the period which is starting now is the golden period of your life, the best period and the same period is taking India to 100 years of independence. It means that your personal growth and the achievements of the 100 years of independence are in sync and there is a great synergy between the imminent 25-26 years of your life and the country which is of great importance. Give the country the highest priority and to the service of the country in these years of your life. Vivekanandaji used to say that this century belongs to India. You have to make this century the century of India. Whatever you do, whatever decision you make, think about what will be the interest of the country?
Friends,
Swami Vivekanandaji used to say that our youth should come forward and become the destiny of the nation. Therefore, it is your responsibility to lead the future of India. And your responsibility is also towards the politics of the country. Because politics is a powerful means of bringing about meaningful change in the country. Like every sphere, politics also needs a lot of youth. New thinking, new energy, new dreams and new zeal are very much needed in the politics of the country.
Friends,
Earlier in the country, there was a perception that if a young man turned to politics, his family used to say that the child was going astray, because politics represented fights, violence, loot and corruption! It was labeled by several names. People used to say that everything could change but not the politics. But today you see, the people of the country, the citizens of the country, have been so aware that they support honest people in politics, give chance to honest people. The common people of the country stand firm with politicians, who are honest, dedicated and have a sense of service. Honesty and performance are becoming the first essential condition of today's politics. This pressure has been created in the country due to awareness. Corruption, which was a legacy for some, has become a burden for them today. And it is the power of awareness of the common citizen of the country that they are not able to overcome it even after a million attempts. The country is now bestowing love to the honest, blessing the honest, putting everything for the honest and reposing its trust on them. Now, the public representatives are also beginning to understand that if they have to face the next elections, their CV should be strong and their work should speak. But friends, there is still need for some changes, and the youth of the country have to bring about these changes. One of the biggest enemies of democracy is flourishing and that is the political dynasty. Political dynasty is a challenge before the country which needs to be uprooted. It is now true that the days of those that won elections only on the basis of surnames are ending. But in politics, this disease of dynasty has not ended completely. There are still people whose ideas, thoughts, goals are all about their family’s politics, and the preservation of their family in politics.
Friends,
This political dynasty burdens the country with inefficiency besides promoting a new form of dictatorship in a democracy. Political dynasty solidifies the feeling of ‘only me and my family’ instead of the nation first. This is also a big reason for political and social corruption in India. Those that have grown from the dynasty think that if the corruption of their earlier generations was not accounted for, then nobody will be able to do anything to them. They see successful examples of that in their homes. Therefore, neither do these people have any respect for the law, nor do they have any fear of it.
Friends,
The responsibility to change the situation is on the awareness of the country, on the shoulders of the younger generation who have to live with the mantra of राष्ट्रयाम जागृयाम वयं, i.e., we will keep the priestly nation alive and awake. You should come to politics in large numbers and take part in it. Come with the intention of doing something, not with the intention of doing something for personal interests. You should move forward with your thinking and your vision. Work together and firmly. Remember, unless the youth of the country comes into politics, this poison of dynasty will continue to undermine our democracy. You need to come into politics to save the democracy of this country. Young friends should discuss the issues of the country together at forums like Mock Parliament which are being run by our youth department. The youth of the country should be brought to the Central Hall of India. The purpose behind this is to prepare the new young generation of the country so that they come forward to lead the country in the days to come. You have a great guide like Swami Vivekananda in front of you. If young people like you come into politics drawing inspiration from him, the country will be stronger.
Friends,
Swami Vivekanandaji used to give a very important mantra to the youth. He used to say, “More important than a disaster or a problem is to learn from that calamity.” What did you learn from that? We also need restraint as well as courage in disasters. Disaster also gives us the opportunity to think how we re-create something that has been impaired or lay the foundations for a new building afresh. Sometimes, we think of something new after a crisis, a disaster, and then see how that new thinking changed the whole future. You must have felt it in your life too. I want to share an experience with you today. Everything was destroyed in a few moments when the earthquake struck Kutch in Gujarat in 2001. In a way, a sheath of death had enveloped the entire Kutch and all the buildings were flattened. Seeing the situation, people used to say that Kutch has now been ruined forever. A few months after this earthquake, I was entrusted with the responsibility of being the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Everybody around was saying that Gujarat has been finished forever and has been ruined. We worked with a new approach, moved forward with a new strategy. We did not only re-build the buildings, but took the pledge to take Kutch to a new height of development. There were no roads, no electricity system, no water was readily available. We improved every system. We made hundreds of kilometres long canals and brought the water from the pipeline to Kutch. The condition of Kutch was such that nobody could think of tourism there. On the contrary, thousands of people migrated from Kutch every year. Now, the situation is such that the people who left Kutch years ago have started returning today. Today, lakhs of tourists arrive in Kutch to enjoy the Rann Festival. That is, we found an opportunity to move forward even in the calamity.
Friends,
At the same time, there was another major work which was carried out during the earthquake, which is not discussed much. Nowadays, in the wake of Corona, you hear a lot about the Disaster Management Act. During this time, all government orders were issued on the basis of the same Act. But there is also a story behind this Act, it has a relationship with the Kutch earthquake and I will also tell you about that and you will be pleased.
Friends,
Earlier, disaster management in our country was considered to be the work of the Agriculture Department only, because disaster meant floods or droughts in our country. Heavy rains meant disaster; insufficient rains meant disaster; compensation for farming in the event of floods; these were the primary tasks of the disaster management. But Gujarat created the Gujarat State Disaster Management Act in 2003 drawing lessons from the Kutch earthquake. It was for the first time in the country that disaster management was taken out from the Agriculture Department and was entrusted with the Home Department. Later, learning from the same law of Gujarat, the central government formulated the Disaster Management Act for the entire country in 2005. Now, with the help of this Act, the country has fought such a great battle against the pandemic. Today, the same Act helped save the lives of millions of our people and became the basis to bail out the country from such a big crisis. Not only that, when disaster management was confined only to compensation and relief materials, the world is today learning from the disaster management of India.
Friends,
The society that learns to make progress even in crises writes its own destiny. So, today, India and the 130 crore Indians are writing their own destiny. Every effort that you make, every single service work, every single innovation, and every single honest resolution is laying the foundation of a strong future. My best wishes to you for succeeding in your efforts. Lakhs of the youth of the country and the officers of the department deserve appreciation for taking forward this youth movement by organizing this face-to-face or virtual event simultaneously. All the youngsters taking part in this event deserve felicitation and my best wishes to all the winners. You all have to ensure that the things that you have spoken about go to the roots of the society. My best wishes as you move ahead on it successfully. I pause to my voice by expressing gratitude to the Hon’ble Speaker once again for organizing this programme inside the Parliament House.
Many many thanks!
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.